NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Golnar Khosrowshahi’s independent music publishing company Reservoir announced the acquisition of the legendary independent hip-hop and electronic record label Tommy Boy Music.
The deal covers more than 6,000 of Tommy Boy’s masters, including iconic tracks such as Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” and Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force’s “Planet Rock.”
First launched in 1981 by Tom Silverman, Tommy Boy launch the careers of influential artists such as Queen Latifah, Coolio, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Afrika Bambaataa, Digital Underground, House of Pain, and Force MDs. Tommy Boy also offered music many music fans their first exposure to electronic music with artists such as LFO, Bob Sinclar, Coldcut, and 808 State on the roster.
The deal for Tommy Boy also includes the catalogs of Amherst Records, Harlem Music, and Halwill Music, which represents a trove of masters from ‘70s Soul, Disco, and Jazz artists such as The Stylistics, Van McCoy, and Glenn Medeiros.
Following the closing of the deal, Reservoir will continue to market the catalog under the Tommy Boy label out of Reservoir’s New York City headquarters with A&R and Creative led by Reservoir EVP Faith Newman and international marketing and distribution driven by Reservoir’s Chrysalis Records team in London.
The announcement of the acquisition comes a little more than a month after Reservoir revealed it had into an agreement with a Roth CH Acquisition II Co., a special purpose acquisition company, with an eye towards taking the company public with a Nasdaq listing.
Founded as an indie music publisher in 2007 by noted label exec Golnar Khosrowshahi, Reservoir has grown to represent more than 130,000 copyrights and 30,000 master recordings, dating back to 1901.
